Indian former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth is unhappy with the recent performances of the current ODI and T20 opener, Shikar Dhawan. He said India should look beyond Dhawan in the shorter format and back KL Rahul as the first-choice opener. Moreover, this is the second time when the former cricketer has criticized Shikar Dhawan’s performance. Recently, he expressed his concern over the current opener’s form when team India got defeated by Bangladesh in the T20I series opener.
Srikkanth is one of the best opening batsmen in the history of Indian cricket. He has faced all-time best fast pacers in his career. Former Indian batsmen have played in 43 test and 146 ODIs where he scored more than 6,000 runs with 6 centuries and 38 fifties.
A Loss Against Bangladesh Is An Eye-Opener
According to Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the T20I series against Windies will be a tough test for Team India. He suggested Team management work in a few areas before going into the field. He also reminded them about the loss to Bangladesh in the T20I opener in Delhi. He feels it was the eye-opener for the Indian team and no team can be underestimated in the shorter format.
Srikkanth said, “India needs to slot KL Rahul firmly as an opener and look beyond Shikhar Dhawan. The need of the hour is instant firepower and that’s one area where team India is lacking. Of course, there is Virat Kohli and other talents to make up but that might not be enough on the big day, as the team has found out in many ICC tournaments over the last few years.”
“The T20 World Cup is a good ten months away but a series against West Indies should be a good test for this strong Indian team. Hopefully, it will show India areas that require improvement. The recent loss to Bangladesh was an eye-opener in many ways. No team can be taken lightly in this format. All it requires is one massive individual effort to win the day,” he added.
India opener batsmen Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out from the squad of T20I which is slated to play against West Indies because of his knee injury. In recent times, Shikhar Dhawan has been faced severe criticism from Indian fans and former Indian cricketers for his poor performance in the T20I series. However, Team India is all set to kick start three-match T20I series against West Indies from the 6th December. The opening match of the series is scheduled to be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
